Swinging buffer.



A. CHRISTIANSON.

SWINGING BUFFER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1909.

Patented June 28, 1910.

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A. CHRISTIANSN SWINGING BUFFER. APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 1. 1909.

Patented June 28, 1910.

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UNITED STA'IIIEENT OFFICE.

ANDREW CHRISTIANSON, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD STEEL CAR COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

SWINGING BUFFER.

Original application filed January 11, 1909, Serial No. 471,757.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ANDREW CHRISTIAN- SoN, a resident of Butler, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Swinging Buffers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to radial or swinging buffers for railroad cars, its object being' to provide a simple and compact form of such buffer mechanism.

It relates to the same general class of mechanism as set forth in application for patent filed by me January 11, 1909, Serial No. 471,757, for swinging buffer and draft rigging, this application being a division of that application.

The invention comprises, generally stated, the combination with the car underframe of a swinging casing mounted therein and having a guide-way and a buffer provided with a buffer shaft rigid with the buffer and mounted in the guide-way; as well as other improvements as hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating the construction of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a side View of the swinging casing; Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 5 5, Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line 6 6, Fig. 3.

The invention may of course be employed in connection with any suitable railroad car whether operated by steam, electricity or other power, or whether employed for freight or passenger service. It is illustrated in connection with a passenger car and also in connection with the draft rigging, as fully set 'forth in said application, Serial No. 471,757, as it is intended to be employed in connection therewith. It will also be described in connection with such apparatus, though it is of course to be understood that the special invention desired to be covered in this application is confined to the buffer mechanism.

The apparatus may be mounted in any suitable underframe, that shown in the drawing being suitable for passenger car Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 28, 1910.

Divided and this application led .Tune 1,

Serial No. 499,497.

construction. As illustrated it has the sides 1, center sills 2, and bolsters 3, the center sills as illustrated being formed of channel beams which project through the bolster and are carried to the end sill 4, the center sills 2 being parallel to a point beyond the bolsters while their outer ends are spread or iiared, as at 5, and have connected therewith the Z-bar extensions G supporting the platform end sill 7 which, as shown, is of spread channel construction with curved outer' face, the mid-portion of which is made on a proper radius from the pivot 8 of the draft rigging, such spreading sills giving space for the swinging movement of the draft rigging.

The buffer forming the subjectI matter of this application, as well as the draft rigging, as described in said application Serial No. 471,757, are carried by a main casing 10 which is mounted in the pivot casting 11 supported between the center sills 2 at the point where the said sills are spread, as at 5, the forward portion of said pivot casting being spread as at 12 to give space for the casing 10. The casing 10 is supported at the forward end by the segmental frame 13 which is secured within the platform end sill 7 having a top plate 14 riveted thereto and a top segmental casting 15, said two castings being riveted to each other and to the platform end sill 7 and to the forward ends of the flaring Z-bar sills 6 where said flaring sills and platform end sill meet; and the segmental castings 13 and 15 form a guiding space 16 within which the forward end of the casing 10 travels and is supported, said casing preferably having the anti-friction rollers 17 bearing upon the lower segmental casting 13 to reduce friction between the same. The main casing 10 has the guideway 18 for the buffer shaft 19, said guideway terminating in the enlarged intermediate guide-way 20 and having back of the same the compression spring pocket 21, said casing extending back of the said compression spring pocket and having a semi-circular strap 22 bearing against the rear face of the pivot 23 and forming a portion of the pivot bearing of the casing. The casing eX- tends down below the guide-way 18 and back of the segmental casting 13, as at 24,

and forms the draw bar guide-way 25, the buffer-bar guide-way 1S and the draw-bar guide-way being on the same vertical plane, so as to cause both buffer and coupler to swing together. In said main casing 10 is mounted the buffer 2G with its buffer bar 19 fitting within the guide-way 1S and extending into the enlarged. space 20 whereit contacts with the bearing plate 27 which, when compressed, contacts with the front compression plate 28 of the compression spring 29, said plate 28 having a sleeve portion 30 extending within the intermediate guide-way 2O in which is confined the primary buffer spring 31, which takes the first thrust of the buffer through the plate 2T. The buffer bar 19 has a longitudinal slot or key-way formed therein within which fits the key for confining the buffer within the main easing, the slots 32 being of sufficient length to give full movement to the same. ny suitable form of compression spring mechanism may be employed, the drawing illustrating simply a compression spring confined between plates and as it is also employed as a draft gear it will be so described in the application. The drawing shows the compression spring 29 fitting within the pocket 21 between the front plate 28 and the rear plate 311. rlhe rear plate has an extension 3G fitting within the casing 20, such extension terminating in the concave bearing face 37 bearing upon the pivot 23. It will thus be seen that the compression spring 29 by pressure upon the rear plate 3i holds its bearing face 37 in Contact with the pivot, while by pressure upon the front plate 28 which engages with the front'wall 38 of the pocket 21 the spring holds the semicircular rear bearing face 22 of the main casing in contact with the pivot 23, so preventing rattling andv lost motion and taking up wear. The coupler 39 has its draw bar et() which may be of ordinary rectangular form and is mounted within the guide-way 25 in the main casing 10 and operates upon the primary draw-bar compression spring 41 to aid the buffer in sustaining compression strains. The straps 42 fitting on both sides of the main casing 10 connect the coupler with the draft 29, the draw bar et() having the elongated slot 43 and a like slot slt shown in dotted lines being formed in the side of the main casing, and the transverse coupler pin extending through said slots and through the ends of the straps 42 so as to connect the said straps with the coupler or its draw-bar. In like manner the rear draft plate 3st of the draft gear' has a seat 35 formed therein for the reception of the transverse pin 4G, which is connected to the rear ends of the straps 4t2 and slides within the longitudinal slots or key-ways 47 in the main casing. The' straps 42 which are held on a slight incline thus connect the draft gear 29 with the coupler and enable said draft gear to sustain all draft strains brought upon the same. rlhe main operative parts of the buffer are thus all inclosed within the main casing 10, which can be of narrow width and so obtain all the necessary swing between the spreading draft sills 5,A 6, supporting the buffer on the same horizontal plane as said sills, said casing supporting both buffer and coupler and the sastaining of all strains brought upon them. For example. the compression strains brought upon the buffer and coupler are first sustainedl by the spring 31 in the guide-way 2O and the spring it1 in the draw bar guideway andthe main or hea=vier strains are transmitted from the buffer-bar to the front draft plate 2S of the draft gear 29; and the draft strains upon the coupler are sustained by said draft gear 29 through the straps 42 connected to the draw barst); whilel at the same time any lost motion and wear between t-he swinging casing and its pivot are also cared for by the draft gear as above described.

lYhile any suitable pivot may be employed, in order to fully sustain the draft strains. l prefer the pivot construction illustrated, the pivot 23 consisting of ay hollow pin having its upper end fittingwithinthe pivot seat 50 of the pivot cast-ing 11 and supported within said pivot casting 11 by the bolt 51, the headV 52 of which fits within the hollow portion and projects up through the casting 11, being heldV by a suitable nut Such pivot pin 23 has formed at the base thereof the horizontal flange extending backwardly from the main body and having the radial segmental rib formed en its upper face which extends into a like radial seat 5G formed in the pivot casting 11. Said pivot casting 11 which is secured to the center sills as above stated, thus sustains not only the draft strains on the pivot pin 2S by the seating of said pin within the bearing 50 above the main casing 10 and within the segmental radial seat below the same7 but receives and sustains the butling strains transmitted through the buffer bar 19 and through the compression spring or draft gear and the rear plate thereof to the pivot pin and thence to the underframe through the pivot casting, rPhe. pin 23 can be easily withdrawn by the loosening of the supportingbolt 51 and this permits the lowering of the rear end of theI main casing 10 so that after the withdrawal of the lmiier from the main casing that casingwith the other parts of the draft gearlcan be easily withdrawn from the underitrame. It is, of course. necessary that the buffer shall have a top telescoping or sliding plate 57, which in the present case is riveted to the top face of the buffer`r which in its preferred form isrigid with its buffer-bar, heilig of suitable width to support such plate according to the swinging action of the .buffer in passing around curves, etc. Said plate travels on top of the top plate 14C of the platform end sill 7 and passes under the supplemental top plate 58 extending from the platform floor 59 forward over said telescoping plate 57 which travels within the space 60.

Any suitable connections can be employed between the main casing 10 and the truck to move said main casing and with it the buffer bar in substantial unison with the truck so that in case of coupling upon a curve the butier and draft rigging will be held on practically proper lines for coupling. F or this purpose I prefer to employ the chain or rope G1 connected to a depending lug 62 on the main casing 10 back of the end sill -fl and passing' around a sheave G3 mounted ou the side 1 of the underframe and to a suitable compression spring Gilt from which the' rope G5 extends back and is connected to the bracket GG mounted at any suitable place on the truck, preferably about the midportion thereof. As the truck in conforming to the curve of the track is thus swung from side to side it draws the buffer with it, the spring (ist compensating for any difference in swing between the buffer and the truck, such as on account of the different points of pivoting.

The buffer is rigid with the buffer bar which slides within its guide-way in the main casing so that a strong and durable construction is obtained. and as means are provided for swinging the buffer as well as the coupler into proper position for c0upling, according to the position of the trucks upon the rails, the buffers of the two cars to be coupled will be subst-antially parallel and the couplers will be held in proper position to couple, the difficulty of coupling on an angle being entirely overcome. When the cars are coupled and the bul'ifing'mechanism is brought into use, on account. of mounting the buffer within a narrow casing which in turn is mounted to swing within the car frame I am enabled to arrange said casing on the same plane as the body of the underframe, this being accomplished first through the employment of the narrow body casing supporting the buffer, and next, to the employment of the spreading platform sills which, as illustrated, give free room for the swinging of the casing supporting the buffer. I also provide a very compact arrangement for the support not only of the buffer but of the coupler and its draw bar by supporting the coupler below the buffer as described in said application Serial No. 471,757. I am also enabled to give full support to the main casing carrying the buffer below said buffer by the segmental frame fitting between the buffer guide-way of the casing, the draw bar in the guide-way provided therefor in the casing extending below said frame while at the same time the frame unites and braces the platform and the ends of the spreading platform sills.v The apparatus also provides for the taking up of all buiiing strains in a very economical way, the primary bufiing strains being sustained through the primary spring 31 within the sleeve portion 30 of the front compression or draft plate 28, while heavier strains upon the buffer are sustained bythe main compression spring. The main swinging frame is also securely mounted in the underframe in an efficient way, the pivot pin being supported aga-mst compression strains both above and below such frame and a firm bearing of the main casing upon the pivot pin is secured through the compression spring which presses upon the rear plate 311 and through the extension 3G and bearing face 37 of that plate bears on the pivot pin, while the front plate of the compression spring by contacting with the shoulders 38 of the main casing draws on the strap 22, forming thus through said strap and the bearing face 37 a firm bearing on the pivot pin by which rattling is prevented and all wear taken up, the compression gear thus serving two purposes.

1. The combination with an underframe, of a swinging casing mounted therein having a pocket for the compression gear and in front of the same a buffer bar guide-way, said casing having an enlarged intermediate guide-way between the pocket and buffer bar guide-way, compression gear mounted in said pocket having a front compression plate provided with an extension fitting within the intermediate guide-way, and a buffer having a buffer bar mounted in its guideway and adapted to engage with such front compression plate.

2. The combination with an underframe, of a swinging casing mounted therein having a pocket for the compression gear and in front of the same a buffer bar guide-way, said casing having an enlarged intermediate guideway between the pocket and buffer bar guide-way, compression gear mounted in said pocket having a front compression plate provided with a tubular extension fitting within the intermediate guideway, a primary compression spring fitting within said tubular extension, and a buffer having a, buffer bar mounted in its guide-way and adapted to engage with such primary compression spring.

3. The combination with a car underframe, of a swinging casing mounted therein having at its rear end a bearing face inclosing the rear portion of the pivot pin, a pivot pin fitting within and against said face, and a compression gear mounted in the casing and having its rear plate provided with a rearwardly extending bearing face concasing and having a bearing face bearing on meting with such pivot pin. said pivot. 10

4. The oomhinuion with a cui' undei In testimony whereof, I the said ANDREW fiume, of a swinging easing mounted CHRISTIANSON have hereunto set my hand.

therein, having an inelosing bearing face, a. ANDREWT CHRISTIANSON.

pivot pin mounted in the Casing und itting Witnessesr Within said hearing face, and a separate ROBERT C. TOTTEN,

spi-ing controlled plate mounted Within Jche J. F. WILL. 

